Furnace Repair in New Brunswick, NJ
Furnaces here run from October through April. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Middlesex County will get in touch.
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Seven months of work for one furnace
From October through April your furnace is the only thing standing between your house and nights that average 26°F. That is seven months of cycling on and off, lighting and shutting down, over and over. Each start puts a little more wear on the igniter and the parts that get the burner going.
Middlesex County has logged 19 winter storms and 139 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. In New Jersey, 11% of households went at least 24 hours without it in 2024. Most gas furnaces need electricity to run the blower and controls, so when the power drops, the heat stops with it, even though the gas is still there. You will notice it as a furnace that used to kick on right away now taking longer, or not starting until someone resets it.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace is on duty
- 26°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79%
- of homes here heat with gas, so most furnaces here burn gas
- 19 winter storms
- in ten years, the nights a failure hurts most
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace would cut about $140 a year off heating for a typical Middlesex County home.
Estimates for a typical Middlesex County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, New Jersey fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when one part has failed and the heat exchanger is sound.
Replacement makes sense when the heat exchanger is cracked or the furnace keeps needing parts.
New Jersey requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The license is issued to the contractor, not to the job, so it covers this repair the same way it covers any other HVAC work the contractor takes on. New Jersey handles this at the state level. Middlesex County and every other town in the state cannot add their own licensing rule on top of it, so the license held by a contractor here is the same one they would need anywhere else in New Jersey.
For a furnace repair, that license is what stands behind the person working on your system. Most homes in Middlesex County heat with gas, and a furnace repair usually means opening up a gas connection, which is the part of the job where a mistake is dangerous rather than just inconvenient. The state board that issued the license is the same body that can act on a contractor who does that work wrong.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
- Why won't my furnace turn on?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the set temperature is above room temperature, and change the batteries if it uses them. If the thermostat looks fine, check the furnace switch, usually mounted on or near the unit like a light switch, and make sure the power hasn't tripped at the breaker panel. Gas furnaces also need the gas valve open and the pilot light or igniter working. If power and thermostat both check out, the problem is likely inside the furnace itself and worth having a contractor look at.
- Why is my furnace blowing cold air?
- Most often this means the furnace is running the fan but the burners haven't lit, so air is moving without being heated. A dirty flame sensor or a failed igniter can stop the burners from lighting even while the blower keeps working. It can also mean the thermostat fan setting is on rather than auto, which pushes air through the vents between heating cycles. If the air stays cold for more than a few minutes after the furnace starts, that's not normal and points to a repair a contractor should diagnose.
- Why won't my furnace pilot light stay lit?
- A pilot light that won't stay lit is usually a sign the thermocouple has failed or needs adjustment. The thermocouple sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve the flame is burning. If it's worn out or positioned wrong, the valve shuts the gas off as a safety measure even though you just relit it. Wind or a draft in the flue can also blow the pilot out repeatedly. Either way, a furnace with a pilot that won't hold usually needs a part replaced, not another relight.